Otter Creek Campground is located at 1101 Furnace Rd, Airville, PA 17302 and is directly aside of the Susquehanna River and Otter Creek in York County. This campground is perfect for all kinds of people: family campers, boaters, fishers, someone seeking rest and relaxation, adventure seekers on the river, history enthusiasts, trail seekers, nature lovers and more!
The campground itself is up on the hill overlooking the river. As you pull into the driveway you are directed to the right and you pull up to a gate. We were buzzed in and followed the signs to check in upon arrival. The camp store was very nice with basic RV equipment and accessories. There was also a small variety of food available like peanut butter and jelly, milk, marshmallows, candy, gum and they also had Turkey Hill ice cream. Upon checking in we were greeted by a very nice woman behind the counter and received the information on the events planned for the weekend. We purchased our firewood (tractor bucket full for $35) and proceeded to our site #21. That was a great price and it lasted us for both nights we were there. We pulled around and found our site easily and got set up. Our site was very large and there was a wooded area between both sites aside of us. They both looked to be permanent sites. Once we had our popup set up and everything in order we were ready to start our fire and relax.
The campground was very family friendly. There was a nice playground with a rockwall, slides and swings. There was also a volleyball court along with two horseshoe pits. They had a few kid friendly events planned like the Hershey Zoo and Family Bingo. They also had a food truck on site on Saturday for a few hours. Just down the road about a mile or so was the Indian Steps Museum which is owned by York Conservation Society. Across the river there was a wildflower sanctuary and Wind Cave that could be accessed by ferry or you can drive there and park along the road.
The river is only a short walk from the campground which is directly across the street at Otter Creek Picnic Area where there are private and public boat docks. You could easily fish from anywhere along the riverside and there was even an area where there were a few baby swings and open area for play. There was a small parking lot which would accommodate up to 10 to 15 cars. The parking lot is located on a series of corners so be careful when pulling into the lot.
Unfortunately, with all of the rain we have had here in Pennsylvania this summer the river was brown with mud and tree debris. There was no way any fish was going to see anything in that water. Our son wanted to try but the only thing he caught were branches. The ground aside of the river was also so saturated from flooding it was difficult to walk though without sinking into the ground. It was still very neat and relaxing to hear the rushing of the water from the campground.
There was one main bathhouse with flushing toilets, running water and pay showers. It was $0.50 for 6 minutes as per the sign however when I put my quarters in I got 7 minutes on the clock! I am not complaining. I made sure to use every second of that nice hot shower. There was plenty of room in the shower and stall however the shower curtain could have been a little bigger. It looked like a curtain for a single shower stall instead of a double which is what you would have needed. So the bench where my clothing was got a little wet and the floor in the dressing area was pretty flooded. Other than that it was very refreshing and well needed.
The campground is on about 4 acres. It was uphill in parts so it was nice to be able to walk our two dogs around in a large circle without having to leave the campground. They were pretty tired by the time we got back and were ready to rest by the fireside. There was a nice pavilion right aside of the playground which was only one road behind us. We could hear our son from our campsite. There were also several outhouse buildings where there were two or four stalls with a sink. It was an outhouse but with a regular toilet with seat and lid. The only difference was there was a hole instead of flushing. We were right in the middle of two and close enough to the main bathhouse as well so we had several options for restroom use besides the one in our popup.
We all had a fantastic time and I would highly recommend this campground if you are looking for an affordable, out of the way, off the beaten path, peaceful and relaxing time to just be lazy and do whatever you feel at the moment. We love to travel to different campgrounds to check out new things and see nature, however I am going to add this campground to my list of places for a return visit.
